Serving the Body of Christ

 “And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Cæsarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭21‬:‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Dr. Luke records, “Then we went on to Caesarea and stayed for several days in the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven deacons”.  An evangelist is simply a preacher of the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, a preacher of the hope humanity has in the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus Christ which frees us from the bondage of sin.  Philip is described as both an evangelist and a deacon or a servant.  When the Church first began, there were so many new disciples and they had to continue.  Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.  Every minister must become a servant.  Jesus Himself as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.  God wants order and the Church has been given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to serve the body of Christ as we surrender our will to His.  Amen!

Preach Christ and Him Crucified

 “Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭22‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The Lord Yahweh directed Isaiah, “This is what the Lord Yahweh, the Commander of Angel Armies, has to say: “Go to Shebna, the treasurer of the palace, and say to him, ‘What right do you have to be here, and who gave you permission? And why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here, carving out your royal burial place, a dwelling place in the rock?”  Shebna was King Hezekiah’s scribe, a high government official who because of his self-importance and corrupt ways, was removed and replaced by Eliakim, the son of the high priest and a man of integrity. Shebna is a picture of the self-centred Adam-life which is the spirit of anti-Christ that seeks self-promotion.  But God removes our Shebna and replaces it with Eliakim (the Christ-life within us) for those who believe in what the Lord Jesus did for us personally, on the Cross.  This principle of replacement is found throughout the Scriptures - Isaac for Ishmael, David for Saul, Esther for Vashti, Samuel for Eli, Matthias for Judas etc.).  Many rock-cut tombs have been discovered on an elevated cliff on the other side of Kidron Valley in the village of Silwan.  It seems that Shebna was hewing out his tomb on a cliff, meant for royalty, which was a gross display of self-promotion.  Paul’s attitude towards this was that those who preach Christ with ambition and competition are insincere.  However, whatever be the reason, preaching Christ with mixed motives or with genuine love, the message of Christ is still being preached and that’s a cause for rejoicing.  Amen!

Christ-Centered Instead of Self-Centred

 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Dr. Luke records, ““But whether I live or die is not important, for I don’t esteem my life as indispensable. It’s more important for me to fulfill my destiny and to finish the ministry my Lord Jesus has assigned to me, which is to faithfully preach the wonderful news of God’s grace.”  Paul did not consider his life worth a single word, for he viewed his life not worth mentioning.  We don’t need to see our lives as precious in our own eyes, for they are precious in the eyes of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that must be enough.  The reason why Paul did not consider his life, it is because his old identity had been co-crucified with Christ and he no longer lived. That’s what Paul encourages us with that now the essence of this new life is no longer ours who have been co-crucified with Christ, for the Anointed One lives His life through us - we live in union as one! Our new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God Who loves us so much that He gave Himself for us, dispensing His life into ours!  Let’s believe it.  Amen!

Interceding God’s Will

 “Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: and he cried, A lion: My Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭21‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Isaiah prophesied, “I see them prepare the table and spread their rugs, then they eat and they drink. Get up, you military officers! Anoint your shields for battle! For this is what the Lord said to me: “Go post a sentry and have him report what he sees. When he sees them come with chariots and advancing warriors riding on horses, donkeys, and camels, let him be alert—extremely alert!” Then the sentry cries out, “I continually stand on this watchtower day after day for you, O Lord. I’m stationed at my post throughout the night.”  This prophesy by Isaiah against Babylon was fulfilled two hundred and fifty years later.  It is as though Isaiah sees prophetically into the room where Belshazzar is feasting, and Belshazzar had no clue that his fall was imminent, as Daniel recorded later.  God has prepared the Body of Christ to have “watchman” as intercessors in this spiritual battle to intercede with the power of the Holy Spirit to decree the victory of the Cross.  It is important that every church and every city has intercessors to stand on this watchtower day after day.  The anointing on the shield of faith quenches every fiery dart of the enemy.  Let’s know how to intercede God’s will on every situation we face because the Greater One is in us.  Amen!

Holy Spirit’s Power Imparted to Believers

 “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Dr. Luke records, “And when Paul laid his hands on each of the twelve, the Holy Spirit manifested and they immediately spoke in tongues and prophesied.”  The impartation of the Holy Spirit and His gifts transferred from Paul to these believers as they spoke tongue by tongue and gushed out prophecies. We can never minimize the powerful gift that operates in our life, for it was imparted to us by the laying on of hands of the elders and was activated through the prophecy they spoke over us. Let’s fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to us when hands were laid upon us.  For God never gave us the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit Who gives us mighty power, love, and self-control.  Jesus taught us that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, it is to impart power for our lives and ministries.  Amen!

Surrendering Our Will to do God’s Will

 “at the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭20‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Isaiah prophesied, “At that time the Lord Yahweh said to Isaiah, the son of Amoz, “Take off your clothes and sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked about naked and barefoot. Then the Lord Yahweh said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a prophetic sign and a wonder as a warning of what is coming to Egypt and Cush,”. Isaiah was a walking parable, completely obedient to the LORD, and signifying Jesus Who stripped Himself of His glory in heaven and came down to earth to become human, as one of His creation.  Jesus’s ministry to preach and teach was also for three years.  Finally Jesus took the sin of all humanity and judgment came upon Him on the Cross, as His Blood was shed as the sacrifice for us.  That is why we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. And we do not become conformed to this world, but are transformed by the renewing of our  mind, that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  Let’s choose to surrender and do God’s will.  Amen!

Gospel of Hope and Peace

 “And when he had landed at Cæsarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭18‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Dr. Luke records, “When he arrived there he traveled on to Jerusalem to visit the church and pray for them, then he left for Antioch. After spending some time there, Paul continued on through the region of Galatia and Phyrgia in central Turkey. And wherever he went he encouraged and strengthened the believers.”  Paul’s prayer life was worth emulating.  As a true spiritual father, Paul prayed for the peace of the congregation wherever he went.  He brought the believers a message of hope and peace.  Wherever Paul went, he made them all disciples of Christ.  The Lord Jesus said it so clearly, “If you truly desire to be My disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace My ‘Cross’ as your own, and surrender to My ways. For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for My glory, you will discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will lose what you try to keep.”  This is what Paul did as he made disciples for Christ.  This is what we do, learning from Paul, to be a follower of Christ and to make disciples for Christ always bringing a message of hope and peace.  Amen!

The Unshakeable Kingdom of God

 “The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As Isaiah prophesied, “A prophecy concerning Egypt: Behold! The Lord Yahweh is riding on a swift-soaring cloud! He is on His way to Egypt! The god-idols of Egypt will tremble at His Presence, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them!”  Egypt is a recognised symbol of the world and its temptations and snares.  Clouds are a metaphor for God’s glory with His sons and daughters in glory.  As the psalmist worshipping God, said, “He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.”  Our God has promised that He is coming to establish His Kingdom and we who believe in the God Who willingly laid down His life for us, are part of this glorious Kingdom.  “The earth was rocked at the sound of His Voice from the mountain, but now He has promised, “Once and for all I will not only shake the systems of the world, but also the unseen powers in the heavenly realm!” Now this phrase “once and for all” clearly indicates the final removal of things that are shaking, that is, the old order, so only what is unshakable will remain. Since we are receiving our rights to an unshakable Kingdom we should be extremely thankful and offer God the purest worship that delights His heart as we lay down our lives in absolute surrender, filled with awe. For our God is a holy, devouring fire!”  Amen!

New Life Now & for Eternity

 “that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Dr. Luke records, “He has done this so that every person would long for God, feel their way to Him, and find Him—for He is the God Who is easy to discover! It is through Him that we live and function and have our identity; just as your own poets have said, ‘Our lineage comes from Him.’”  God has given every human being the ability to seek Him and find Him.  We can all investigate God in His creation because He is not far from each one of us.  Even other Greek classical philosophers as early as 270 BC have quoted that mankind is God’s offspring and the nature comes from God.  Paul had this intellectual knowledge as he quoted these philosophers to the gathering in order to win them.  The account of creation is much older than the Greek philosophers where it says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  Our identity is the image and likeness of God Himself which through sin was lost but was restored through the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  Let’s preach the glorious Gospel of being buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.  Amen!

God’s Dwelling Place

 “For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭18‬:‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Isaiah prophesied, “Here is what the Lord Yahweh said to me: “I will rest calm and confident as I look from My dwelling place, serene as on a pleasant summer day or as a cool, refreshing cloud in the heat of harvest.”  The Body of Christ is now the dwelling place.  So, we are not foreigners or guests, but rather we are the children of the city of the holy ones, with all the rights as family members of the household of God. We are rising like the perfectly fitted stones of the temple; and our lives have been built up together upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, and best of all, we are connected to the Head Cornerstone of the building, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ Himself! This entire building is under construction and is continually growing under His supervision until it rises up completed as the holy temple of the Lord Himself. This means that God is transforming each one of us who believes in this, into the Holy of Holies, His dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us!  Let’s believe in what Christ did on the Cross for each one of us.  Amen!